MLB players wanted Alex Rodriguez kicked out of their union

Several angry major league players wanted Alex Rodriguez kicked out of their union after he sued it last week, but staff lawyers told them expulsion was not allowed.

The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrator's decision suspending him for the 2014 season and postseason.

Details were first reported Tuesday by Yahoo Sports and later confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the call. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no statements were authorized.

The union and Rodriguez spokesman Ron Berkowitz declined comment.

The union will incur costs of defending the lawsuit by the New York Yankees third baseman, who claimed in the suit it "breached its duty of fair representation to Mr. Rodriguez."

Rodriguez was suspended for 211 games by baseball commissioner Bud Selig on Aug. 5, and the union filed a grievance contending the discipline was without "just cause."

The penalty was reduced to 162 games plus the 2014 postseason by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz, who concluded Rodriguez violated baseball's drug agreement each year from 2010-12 and twice obstructed MLB's investigation in violation of the sport's labor contract.

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Entering a big league ballpark will be a bit like going through an airport by 2015. Major League Baseball has told its 30 teams they must implement security screening for fans by then, either with hand-held metal detection or walk-through magnetometers.

Right-hander Chad Gaudin signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies and will be invited to spring training. Gaudin, 30, was 5-2 with a 3.06 ERA in 30 games last year for the Giants. His season ended in mid-August when he was placed on the disabled list with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Veteran outfielder Bobby Abreu signed a minor league contract with the Phillies and will be invited to spring training. Abreu, 39, didn't play in the majors last year.

Soccer

FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke is giving Brazilian organizers only a few more weeks to show that the stadium in Curitiba will be ready in time for the World Cup.

Valcke showed real concern about the pace of construction at the Arena da Baixada after visiting the southern city Tuesday, saying that work there is more than late. He said he believes the stadium will make it, but declined to guarantee it will be part of the tournament that begins in June.

Valcke said local organizers have until Feb. 18 to demonstrate that the work can be completed in time.

Winter X Games

Shaun White is heading to the Winter X Games after all. The two-time Olympic halfpipe gold medalist informed ESPN that he plans to compete in Aspen, Colo., this weekend. White said initially he was skipping the annual event to rest for next month's Sochi Olympics.